At Fish Hoek Dojo we offer you this training. Aikido is also ideal for woman and children. Fish Hoek Aikido club practice and teach Aikido a defensive martial art, developed in Japan by Morihei Ueshiba (1883-1969). While it is in every sense a modern art, its pedigree can be traced back 1000 years or more, drawing on many martial, philosophical and spiritual influences. Today it is practised throu
ghout the world, and South Africa is no exception, with clubs in almost every city. The greater Cape Town area alone has four clubs affiliated to The Aikido Federation of South Africa. What distinguishes Aikido from most other martial arts is its non-violent character: It makes little use of the kicking, punching, and blocking normally associated with fighting. In essence, aikido aims at neutralising an incoming attack as efficiently as possible, to bring the attacker under control, preferably without damaging him. An almost limitless variety of techniques is used to achieve this aim, among them joint locks, immobilisation pins, and throws. But one common feature unites them all: a properly executed Aikido technique requires little strength or muscle power beyond that needed to move one’s own body around. One harmonises or aligns one’s own movements with those of the attacker, to control and redirect the force of the attack, neutralising the danger to both the attacker and oneself. Hence the name Aikido, which means the Way (Do) of harmonised (Ai) energy (Ki). This empowers a small and gentle practitioner to overcome a large and powerful aggressor, and makes Aikido suitable for anyone in reasonable health, male or female, of any age within reason. Unlike many other martial arts, there is no element of competition in traditional Aikido training: no tournaments, no matches, no winners or losers. This arises largely out of the deeply non-aggressive ethos infused into Aikido by its founder, but also for a very practical reason: the techniques, properly done, are devastatingly effective, and if applied in a competitive context, there would be an increased risk of injury. Thus, training is conducted in a friendly spirit of mutual co-operation, led by a qualified instructor without diluting the martial element. The usual training session begins with an instructor leading the class with a series of stretching and warm-up exercises, after which the instructor demonstrates a particular technique with one of the students. Then the members of the class pair off and copy the instructor’s example by taking turns to practice the technique with one another. Several techniques might be covered like this in one training session. Children’s classes also include games and activities to learn basic skills and maintain focus especially for younger students. For a beginner just starting out, Aikido is surprisingly undemanding from a physical fitness point of view. Other students make a point of tailoring their practice to the experience levels of their partners, minimising any risk of injury. And no-one is expected to do anything beyond their current capabilities, however modest these might be. Indeed, probably the hardest part of the first few months of training is learning how to relax! So beginning Aikido is simply a matter of stepping on the mat and doing whatever the person at the front of the class does. However, it does take sustained and repetitive practice to achieve the subtle ‘effectiveness without effort’ that marks true Aikido technique and many years of dedication to master it completely. Usefulness in terms of practical self-defence will probably not manifest itself for a fair while after starting training, so if all you’re looking for is a ‘quick fix’ or a crash course in self-defence, Aikido is not for you. But if that’s the case, no proper martial art is. Nevertheless, Aikido practice yields other health benefits almost immediately. For example:
- Each practice session provides a mild aerobic workout, improving cardiovascular function.
- Improvement of joint and muscular flexibility.
- Relief of everyday stress
Sustained training in the longer term leads to further benefits, both physical and mental:
- Improved ability to relax one’s body and mind in high-stress situations
- Development of self-confidence and control
- Improved posture and balance
- Better ability to deal with social, school and workplace conflict of all kinds, by neither avoiding it nor fighting with it.
- …Oh, and being able to defend oneself. Fish Hoek Aikido is a member of the Aikido Federation of South Africa (AFSA)
The AFSA website at www.aikido.org.za
